JP2017132630A - Sheet tray and sheet carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet tray capable of easily moving a second tray, even if a tray cover is in a coated state, in a structure in which the second tray is provided so as to slide with respect to a first tray.SOLUTION: A feeding tray 20 is equipped with a body tray 31, an extension tray 32, and a tray cover 33. The tray cover 33 has a projection 117. While the extension tray 32 is at a push-in position, a supporting portion 94A of a side wall 92 is overlapped with an upper surface 82A of the side wall 75 in a lateral direction 9, under the upper surface 82A of the side wall 75. The projection 117 has a rear inclined surface 117A which abuts on a front end portion 75A of the side wall 75 to guide the tray cover 33 so as to rotate upward, while the tray cover 33 is in the coated state, in a process during which the extension tray moves from the push-in position to a pull-out position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet tray that supports sheets and a sheet conveying apparatus that includes a sheet tray that supports sheets fed to the apparatus main body.

  Conventionally, a sheet tray having a configuration in which a plurality of trays are slid to expand and contract a sheet placement surface is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a paper feed cassette that is used in an image forming apparatus and includes a main frame and an auxiliary frame that is slidably supported by the main frame. ing. In the sheet feeding cassette, the relative position between the main frame and the auxiliary frame is changed by sliding the auxiliary frame relative to the main frame. As a result, the size of the sheet that can be supported by the sheet feeding cassette is changed.

  Further, a feeding tray having a tray cover on the upper part of the sheet placement surface is known.

JP 2004-106983 A

  In the configuration of the sheet tray in which the second tray is slidably provided with respect to the first tray, and the tray cover is provided on the second tray, the second tray is the first tray while the tray cover is provided on the second tray. When pushed into the tray, the tray cover may come into contact with the first tray. In this case, the movement of the second tray is hindered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a configuration in which the second tray is slidably movable relative to the first tray, even if the tray cover is in a covered state. The object is to provide a sheet tray in which the second tray can be easily moved.

  (1) A sheet tray according to the present invention includes a first tray having a first support surface for supporting a sheet and a second support surface for supporting the sheet, and at least a part of the second support surface is the first A first position overlapping in a direction orthogonal to the first support surface, and being positioned in a first direction relative to the first position, and an overlapping area of the second support surface with respect to the first support surface is greater than the first position. A second tray supported by the first tray so as to be movable to a small second position, and a rotation axis extending along a width direction perpendicular to the first direction and along the first support surface. The second tray is supported by the second tray in a covering state covering at least a part of the second support surface above the second support surface when the second tray is in the second position. A tray cover. The first tray protrudes upward from the first support surface and has a first side wall extending along the first direction. The second tray protrudes upward from the second support surface, and has a second side wall extending along the first direction. The tray cover has a protrusion that protrudes downward from the lower surface facing the upper surface of the second side wall in the covered state and contacts the support portion of the second side wall. In a state where the second tray is in the first position, the support portion of the second side wall is below the upper surface of the first side wall and overlaps the upper surface of the first side wall in the width direction. . The protrusion abuts against an end portion of the first side wall in the first direction in a process in which the tray cover is in the covering state and the second tray moves from the second position to the first position. And having a first guide surface for guiding the tray cover to pivot upward.

  According to the above configuration, when the second tray is moved from the second position to the first position when the tray cover is in the covering state, the protrusion of the tray cover rides on the upper surface of the first side wall of the first tray. Therefore, even if the tray cover is in the covered state, the second tray is easily moved from the second position to the first position.

  (2) Preferably, the said support part is a recessed part dented below from the upper surface of the said 2nd side wall.

  According to the said structure, the position of the tray cover in a covering state is stabilized.

  (3) Preferably, the first side wall has a through hole in the upper surface that exposes the support portion upward to be able to contact the protrusion in a state where the second tray is in the first position.

  According to the above configuration, in the state where the second tray is in the first position, the protrusion of the tray cover contacts the upper surface of the second side wall. Therefore, the tray cover in the covering state is positioned at the same height in the state in which the second tray is in the first position and the state in the second position.

  (4) Preferably, the protrusion is positioned in the first direction from the first guide surface. When the tray cover is in the covering state and the second tray moves from the first position to the second position, the tray cover comes into contact with a peripheral edge that defines a through hole in the first side wall, and the tray It has the 2nd guide surface which guides a cover so that it may rotate upwards.

  According to the above configuration, when the projection of the tray cover enters the through hole of the first side wall in the process of moving the second tray from the second position to the first position, the tray cover in the covered state is rapidly lowered. Rotation is suppressed. Further, it is possible to prevent the protrusion from being caught in the through hole in the process of moving the second tray in the state where the tray cover is covered from the first position to the second position.

  (5) Preferably, the tray cover has a projecting piece protruding in the first direction from an end portion of the tray cover positioned in the first direction in the covered state. The second tray has a wall portion in which an opening into which the protruding piece is inserted is formed. The tray cover rotates about the protruding piece inserted into the opening of the wall portion as a rotation center.

  According to the above configuration, the tray cover can be easily attached to and detached from the second tray.

  (6) Preferably, the said wall part has a convex part which protrudes above the front-end part of the said tray cover of the said covering state.

  According to the above configuration, the upper surface of the tray cover comes into contact with the convex portion of the wall portion of the second tray in the covered state of the tray cover. This prevents the covered tray cover from falling off the second tray.

  (7) A sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes the sheet tray according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and a feeding unit that feeds the sheet supported by the sheet tray to the apparatus main body.

  According to the present invention, in the sheet tray in which the second tray is slidably movable with respect to the first tray, the user can easily move the second tray even if the tray cover is in the covered state. .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the feeding tray in a shortened state with the tray cover 33 covered. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the feeding tray 20 in an extended state in a state where the tray cover 33 is covered. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the feeding tray 20 in an extended state with the tray cover 33 removed. 6A and 6B are perspective views of the tray cover 33, where FIG. 6A shows the top surface and FIG. 6B shows the bottom surface. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 10A and 10B are longitudinal sectional views of the feeding tray 20, in which FIG. 10A shows a state in which the extension tray 32 is in the drawer position, and FIG. 10B shows a rear inclined surface 117 </ b> A of the projection 117 of the tray cover 33. A state in which the front end portion 75A of 75 is in contact with the front end 75A, and FIG. 9C shows a state in which the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 rides on the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31. 11A and 11B are longitudinal sectional views of the feeding tray 20. FIG. 11A is a state in which the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 is located in front of the through hole 84 </ b> A in the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31, and FIG. Shows a state where is in the pushing position.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to the state where the multifunction machine 10 is installed (the state shown in FIG. 1), and the direction in which the opening 13 is formed is the front (front side). And the left-right direction 9 (an example of the width direction) is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front.

[Overall structure of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 (an example of a sheet conveying apparatus and an apparatus main body) is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped, and includes a casing 14 that forms an appearance. The multifunction machine 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. Here, the print function is a function for recording an image on the recording paper 12 (see FIG. 2, an example of a sheet).

  As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 13 is formed in the front surface of the housing 14. A storage portion 16 is formed behind the opening 13. That is, the storage portion 16 is opened to the outside by the opening 13. The storage unit 16 is a space formed inside the housing 14.

  The feeding tray 20 can be supported in a state where the recording paper 12 is loaded. The feeding tray 20 (an example of a sheet tray) can be pulled out and pushed into the housing 14 through the opening 13 by sliding in the front-rear direction 8 with respect to the housing 14. The feeding tray 20 is stored in the storage unit 16 by being pushed into the housing 14 through the opening 13 (see FIG. 1). That is, the feeding tray 20 is attached to the housing 14. The feeding tray 20 has a front surface 95A of the extension tray 32 on the front surface of the multi-function device 10 as shown in FIG. 1, with an extension tray 32 (described later) in a pushing position (described later) shown in FIG. 14 on the same plane as the front surface 15.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a feeding unit 28, a conveyance roller pair 57, a discharge roller pair 58, a recording unit 24, and the like are arranged inside the housing 14 (see FIG. 1).

  In a state where the feeding tray 20 is housed in the housing portion 16 of the housing 14 (see FIG. 1), the recording paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 is fed to the feeding portion 28 as shown in FIG. And the conveyance path 65 mentioned later is conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 57. FIG. The recording sheet 12 conveyed through the conveyance path 65 is image-recorded by the recording unit 24. The recording paper 12 on which the image has been recorded is discharged to a discharge tray 21 provided above the feeding tray 20 by a discharge roller pair 58 and supported by the discharge tray 21.

  A feeding unit 28 is provided above the feeding tray 20 stored in the storage unit 16. The feeding unit 28 includes a feeding roller 25, an arm 26, and a shaft 27. The feeding roller 25 is rotatably provided at the distal end portion of the arm 26. The arm 26 is rotatably provided on a shaft 27 supported by the housing 14. The arm 26 is urged to rotate toward the feeding tray 20 by its own weight or an elastic force by a spring or the like. The feeding roller 25 picks up the recording paper 12 supported on the feeding tray 20 and feeds it to the conveyance path 65 by rotating with a driving force applied from a motor (not shown).

  A conveyance path 65 extends from the rear end portion of the feeding tray 20 that is mounted on the housing 14. The conveyance path 65 is partitioned by the outer guide member 19 and the inner guide member 18, and includes a curved portion and a straight portion. The recording paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 is conveyed so as to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side of the curved portion, and then conveyed along the straight portion to the recording unit 24. The recording paper 12 on which image recording has been performed by the recording unit 24 is conveyed through the linear portion and discharged to the discharge tray 21. That is, the recording paper 12 is transported on the transport path 65 along the transport direction 11 indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG.

  In the conveyance path 65, a conveyance roller pair 57 including a conveyance roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 is provided upstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 11, and a discharge roller 62 and a spur are arranged downstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 11. A pair 63 of discharge rollers 58 is provided. Each roller pair 57 and 58 holds the recording paper 12. Each of the rollers 60 and 62 is rotated by a driving force applied from a motor (not shown). As a result, each of the roller pairs 57 and 58 transports the sandwiched recording paper 12 in the transport direction 11.

  A recording unit 24 is provided above the conveyance path 65. In the present embodiment, the recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper 12 that is fed to the conveyance path 65 by the feeding unit 28 and conveyed through the conveyance path 65 by the conveyance roller pair 57 by an inkjet method. Note that the method by which the recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper 12 is not limited to the inkjet method, and may be another known method, for example, an electrophotographic method.

[Feeding tray 20]
As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding tray 20 is disposed below the recording unit 24 in a state in which the feeding tray 20 is mounted on the housing 14. Further, the recording paper 12 supported by the feeding tray 20 can be supplied to the conveyance path 65 in a state where the feeding tray 20 is mounted on the housing 14. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the recording paper 12 can be replenished to the feeding tray 20 in a state where the feeding tray 20 is removed from the housing 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the feeding tray 20 includes a main body tray 31 (an example of a first tray), an extension tray 32 (an example of a second tray), and a tray cover 33.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the extension tray 32 is configured to be movable relative to the main body tray 31 along the front-rear direction 8. The extension tray 32 is pulled forward from the front portion of the main body tray 31 (an example of the first direction). The extension tray 32 is pushed into the main body tray 31 at the position pulled out from the main body tray 31 (see FIGS. 4 and 5, an example of the second position, hereinafter referred to as “drawing position”) (FIG. 3). Reference is an example of the first position, hereinafter referred to as the “push-in position”). The overlapping area in the vertical direction 7 of the bottom plate 74 (described later) of the main body tray 31 and the bottom plate 91 (described later, see FIG. 4) of the extension tray 32 in a state where the extension tray 32 shown in FIG. When the extension tray 32 shown in FIG. 4 is in the pulled-out position, it is larger than the overlapping area of the bottom plate 74 of the main body tray 31 and the bottom plate 91 of the extension tray 32. Hereinafter, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the state of the tray cover 33 attached to the feeding tray 20 is referred to as a “covered state”.

[Main body tray 31]
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the main body tray 31 includes a bottom plate 74, a pair of side walls 75 erected upward from both left and right ends of the bottom plate 74, and a horizontal direction 9 at the rear end of the bottom plate 74. Center plate 76 erected upward from the center, right rear plate 77 erected upward from the rear end and right end of bottom plate 74, and erected upward from the rear end and left end of bottom plate 74 The left rear plate 78 is provided.

  The bottom plate 74 has a support surface 74A (an example of a first support surface) facing upward. The bottom plate 74 supports the recording paper 12 (see FIG. 2) by the support surface 74A. The central plate 76 can come into contact with the recording paper 12 supported by the support surface 74A. This prevents the recording paper 12 from falling from behind the feed tray 20 when the feed tray 20 is removed from the housing 14 (see FIG. 1). When the feeding tray 20 is stored in the storage unit 16 (see FIG. 1), the center plate 76 is behind the inclined plate 79 (see FIG. 2) provided behind the storage unit 16 of the housing 14. Located in. Thus, when the recording paper 12 supported by the bottom plate 74 is fed by the feeding unit 28, the recording paper 12 is guided along the front surface of the inclined plate 79 and guided to the conveyance path 65.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the side wall 75 (an example of the first side wall) of the main body tray 31 includes an outer plate 80, an inner plate 81, and an upper plate 82 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the outer plate 80 and the inner plate 81 have a rectangular flat plate shape that extends along the vertical direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. As shown in FIG. 7, the outer plate 80 is positioned on the outer side of the inner plate 81 in the left-right direction 9 with a space from the inner plate 81. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper plate 82 connects the upper end of the outer plate 80 and the upper end of the inner plate 81.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the outer plate 80 is formed with a convex portion 83 that protrudes inward in the left-right direction 9 from the inner surface 80 </ b> A of the outer plate 80. A guide rail 83A that is recessed downward and extends in the front-rear direction 8 is formed on the upper surface 83B of the convex portion 83. A guide rail 102 (described later) of the extension tray 32 is fitted into the guide rail 83A from above, so that the extension tray 32 is supported by the main body tray 31 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction 8 with respect to the main body tray 31.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a through hole 84 </ b> A that penetrates downward from the upper surface 82 </ b> A of the upper plate 82 is formed in the upper plate 82. The dimension in the front-rear direction 8 of the through hole 84A is larger than the dimension in the front-rear direction 8 of a protrusion 117 (see FIG. 6B) of the tray cover 33 described later. The position of the through hole 84A corresponds to the position of the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 (see FIG. 3) when the tray cover 33 is in the covering state and the extension tray 32 is in the pushed position. The through-hole 84A exposes a support portion 94A, which will be described later, of the extension tray 32 upward so as to come into contact with the protrusion 117 in a state where the extension tray 32 is in the pushing position (see FIG. 11B).

  As shown in FIG. 5, a front end portion 75 </ b> A (an example of an end portion of the first side wall) of the side wall 75 is formed by a front surface (not shown) extending downward from a front end edge of the upper surface 82 </ b> A of the upper plate 82.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a concave portion 88 that is recessed downward from the upper surface 81 </ b> A of the inner plate 81 and extends in the front-rear direction 8 is formed at the upper end portion of the inner plate 81. The recess 88 is located on the inner plate 81 at a position corresponding to a lower extension 121 of the tray cover 33 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom plate 74 is provided with a lever 85 that restricts or releases the movement of the extension tray 32 relative to the main body tray 31. When the lever 85 at the predetermined normal position is moved to the left by the user, the engagement portion (not shown) included in the main body tray 31 is disengaged from the extension tray 32 and the extension tray 32 is moved in the front-rear direction 8. It becomes possible to move to. The lever 85 is urged to the right by a spring (not shown). Therefore, when the lever 85 is not moved to the left by the user, the lever 85 is in the normal position. When the lever 85 is in the normal position, the engaging portion is engaged, and the movement of the extension tray 32 in the front-rear direction 8 is restricted. In the state where the extension tray 32 is in the pushing position shown in FIG. 3, the lever 85 is positioned below the tray cover 33 in the covering state (in FIG. 3, the lever 85 is hidden by the tray cover 33). )

  The bottom plate 74 is provided with a pair of side guides 86 on the left side and the right side with respect to the center of the support surface 74 </ b> A in the left-right direction 9. The side guide 86 has a guide surface that extends in the vertical direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8 and faces inward in the left-right direction 9. The side guide 86 is supported by the bottom plate 74 so as to be movable in the left-right direction 9. The side guides 86 are connected by a known connecting mechanism so that when one moves leftward, the other moves rightward, and when one moves rightward, the other moves leftward. The opposing guide surfaces of the pair of side guides 86 come into contact with both end portions in the left-right direction 9 of the recording paper 12 (see FIG. 2), so that the recording paper 12 has a center position in the left-right direction 9 of the feeding tray 20. Positioned with reference.

  The bottom plate 74 is provided with a rear guide 87 at the center in the left-right direction 9 of the bottom plate 74. The rear guide 87 has a guide surface that extends along the vertical direction 7 and the horizontal direction 9 and faces the rear. The rear guide 87 is supported by the bottom plate 74 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction 8. The rear guide 87 is configured to be movable to the front end portion of the extension tray 32 in a state where the extension tray 32 is in the pulling position. The recording paper 12 is positioned in the front-rear direction 8 of the feeding tray 20 by the guide surface of the rear guide 87 coming into contact with the front end portion of the recording paper 12.

[Extension tray 32]
As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom plate 91 of the extension tray 32 overlaps below the bottom plate 74 of the main body tray 31.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the extension tray 32 includes a bottom plate 91, a pair of side walls 92 erected upward from the left and right ends of the bottom plate 91, and a front wall 93 erected upward from the front end of the bottom plate 91. It has. The bottom plate 91 has a support surface 91A (an example of a second support surface) facing upward. The bottom plate 91 supports the recording paper 12 by the support surface 91A. As shown in FIG. 7, the side wall 92 (an example of the second side wall) of the extension tray 32 is located between the outer plate 80 and the inner plate 81 in the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31 in the left-right direction 9. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, the side wall 92 has a guide rail 102 on the outer surface 92 </ b> B in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 7, the guide rail 102 protrudes outwardly in the left-right direction 9 from the outer surface 92 </ b> B of the side wall 92, extends downward, and extends in the front-rear direction 8. The guide rail 102 is fitted into the guide rail 83A of the main body tray 31 from above. Accordingly, the extension tray 32 is slid in the front-rear direction 8 with respect to the main body tray 31. That is, the extension tray 32 can be pulled forward with respect to the main body tray 31 and can be pushed backward.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the extension tray 32 is in the pushing position, the recording paper 12 is supported on the support surface 74 </ b> A of the bottom plate 74 of the main body tray 31. As shown in FIG. 4, when the extension tray 32 is in the drawing position, the recording paper 12 is supported by the support surface 74 </ b> A of the bottom plate 74 of the main body tray 31 and the support surface 91 </ b> A of the bottom plate 91 of the extension tray 32. . That is, the extension tray 32 supports the recording paper 12 together with the main body tray 31 while being pulled out from the main body tray 31.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the upper surface 92 </ b> A of the side wall 92 of the extension tray 32 is positioned below the upper surface 82 </ b> A (see FIG. 5) of the upper plate 82 of the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31. Further, a concave portion 94 that is recessed downward and extending in the front-rear direction 8 is formed on the upper surface 92 </ b> A of the side wall 92. As shown in FIG. 7, the recess 94 is in a position corresponding to a later-described protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 5, a support portion 94 </ b> A is formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 in the covered state in the concave portion 94. As shown in FIG. 11B, the support portion 94A is configured such that the upper surface 33A of the tray cover 33 is in the front-rear direction 8 and the left and right directions while the lower surface 117C of the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 is in contact with the upper surface of the support portion 94A. The height is set so as to be positioned along the direction 9. When the extension tray 32 is in the pushed position, the support portion 94A is located below the through hole 84A of the upper plate 82 of the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the front wall 93 (an example of a wall portion) of the extension tray 32 has a front plate 95 extending along the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9, and generally along the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. The upper wall 96 extends and extends rearward from the upper end of the front plate 95.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the upper wall 96 protrudes rearward from the upper end of the front plate 95, then bends and extends downward, and extends upward from the lower end of the upper step 98A and then bends. A middle step 98B extending downward and a lower step 98C extending rearward from the lower end of the middle step 98B.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the upper wall 96 of the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32 has first openings 97 (an example of openings) penetrating in the vertical direction 7 at both ends in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 8, the first opening 97 is formed so as to penetrate between the upper step portion 98A and the lower step portion 98C. The position of the first opening 97 corresponds to the position of a protrusion 113 described later of the tray cover 33 in the covered state. The upper step 98A in front of the first opening 97 is an example of a convex portion.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper wall 96 has a second opening 99 penetrating in the vertical direction 7 at the center in the left-right direction 9 and in front of the first opening 97. The position of the second opening 99 corresponds to the position of an extension 116 (see FIG. 6) described later of the tray cover 33 in the covered state.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a protruding portion 100 that protrudes upward is formed at the upper end portion of the front wall 93 inward and rearward in the left-right direction 9 from the first opening 97. The protrusion 100 has a cubic shape that is long in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the protrusion 100 has an inclined surface 100 </ b> A inclined upward from the rear end of the protrusion 100 toward the front. The position of the projecting portion 100 corresponds to the position of a cylindrical portion 114 (described later) of the tray cover 33 in the covered state.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a recess 101 is formed in the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32 and at the center and the lower end of the front surface 95 </ b> A in the left-right direction 9. The recess 101 has a cubic shape that is long in the left-right direction 9. The user of the multifunction machine 10 grips the recess 101 when the feeding tray 20 is pushed into and pulled out from the housing 14.

[Tray cover 33]
As shown in FIG. 4, the tray cover 33 is a front end portion of the extension tray 32 and is provided above the support surface 91 </ b> A so as to overlap the extension tray 32. As shown in FIG. 6, the tray cover 33 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member. Although illustration is omitted, the tray cover 33 is configured such that the feeding tray 20 exposed forward from the front surface 15 of the multifunction machine 10 in a state where the feeding tray 20 with the extension tray 32 in the pulled-out position is attached to the multifunction machine 10. The upper area is covered. Thereby, when the extension tray 32 exists in a drawer | drawing-out position, it is suppressed that foreign materials, such as dust, enter into internal space in the feeding tray 20. FIG. The tray cover 33 is supported by the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32 so as to be rotatable and detachable. The rotation of the tray cover 33 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the tray cover 33 has a protruding piece 113 on the lower surface 111A of the front end portion 118 (an example of an end portion positioned in the first direction). As shown in FIG. 8, the protruding piece 113 includes a vertical plate portion 113A that protrudes downward from the lower surface 111A and a horizontal plate portion 113B that protrudes forward from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 113A. The position of the protruding piece 113 in the left-right direction 9 corresponds to the position of the first opening 97 of the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the tray cover 33 has a cylindrical portion 114 on the lower surface 111 </ b> A of the front end portion 118. The cylindrical portion 114 is located behind the protruding piece 113 and inward of the protruding piece 113 in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the cylindrical portion 114 protrudes downward from the lower surface 111A to define an internal space. The rear end portion of the cylindrical portion 114 is further extended below the other portions of the cylindrical portion 114 to form a rear plate portion 115. The position of the cylindrical portion 114 corresponds to the position of the protruding portion 100 of the extension tray 32.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the tray cover 33 has an extension 116 at the front end 118. The extending portion 116 extends forward from the central portion in the left-right direction 9 at the front edge of the tray cover 33. The extending portion 116 has a rectangular flat plate shape that is long in the left-right direction 9. The position of the extension portion 116 corresponds to the position of the second opening 99 (see FIG. 5) of the extension tray 32.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the tray cover 33 has a protrusion 117. The protrusion 117 protrudes downward from the lower surface 111 </ b> A near the center in the front-rear direction 8 at the end of the tray cover 33 in the left-right direction 9. The protrusion 117 has a mountain-shaped flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction 8 and having the center of the front-rear direction 8 raised downward. The protrusion 117 has a rear inclined surface 117A (an example of a first guide surface) inclined downward from the rear end of the protrusion 117 to the front, and a front inclined surface 117B (inclined upward from the front end of the protrusion 117 to the rear). An example of the second guide surface) and a lower surface 117C extending in the front-rear direction 8 between the rear inclined surface 117A and the front inclined surface.

  The tray cover 33 has a downward extension 121. The lower extension 121 protrudes downward from the lower surface 111 </ b> A at the end in the left-right direction 9 of the tray cover 33 and extends in the front-rear direction 8. The downwardly extending portion 121 has a rectangular flat plate shape that extends along the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. The position in the left-right direction 9 of the lower extension 121 corresponds to the position in the left-right direction 9 of the recess 88 (see FIG. 7) in the inner plate 81 of the main body tray 31.

  The rear end portion of the tray cover 33 has an operation portion 119 in which a central portion in the left-right direction 9 is recessed forward from the rear end. The operation unit 119 has a substantially rectangular shape. The operation unit 119 is a portion that is held by the user when the tray cover 33 is attached to or detached from the extension tray 32.

[Turning operation of tray cover 33]
As shown in FIG. 8, in the covered tray cover 33, the protruding piece 113 of the tray cover 33 is inserted into the first opening 97 of the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32. In this state, the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 113B of the projecting piece 113 is in contact with the upper step portion 98A of the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32 from below. As a result, the upper end portion of the tray cover 33 is restricted from coming off from the extension tray 32. Although not shown, both end surfaces in the left-right direction 9 of the vertical plate portion 113 </ b> A of the projecting piece 113 are in contact with both end surfaces in the left-right direction 9 of the member that defines the periphery of the first opening 97. This restricts the tray cover 33 from moving in the left-right direction 9.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the covered tray cover 33, the protruding portion 100 of the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 114 of the tray cover 33. Although illustration is omitted, in this state, both end surfaces of the protrusion portion 100 in the left-right direction 9 are in contact with both inner surfaces of the cylindrical portion 114 in the left-right direction 9. This also restricts the movement of the tray cover 33 in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 9, in this state, the lower end of the inclined surface 100 </ b> A of the protrusion 100 is in contact with the front surface 115 </ b> A of the rear plate portion 115 of the tray cover 33.

  In the covered tray cover 33 shown in FIG. 4, the extending portion 116 of the tray cover 33 is located above the second opening 99 (see FIG. 5) of the extension tray 32.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, in a state where the extension tray 32 is in the pulled-out position and the tray cover 33 is covered, the lower surface 117C of the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 is located above the support portion 94A of the extension tray 32. Abut.

  When the rear end of the tray cover 33 is moved upward, the front end edge of the tray cover 33 comes into contact with the upper step 98A of the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32 from the rear, and the lower end of the front end edge of the tray cover 33 is rotated. The tray cover 33 rotates as the axis 120 (see FIG. 9). At this time, the extension 116 of the tray cover 33 enters the second opening 99 of the extension tray 32. The dimension of the extension part 116 in the left-right direction 9 is substantially the same as the dimension of the second opening 99 in the left-right direction 9. Therefore, the tray cover 33 is restricted from moving in the left-right direction 9 in a state where the extending portion 116 enters the second opening 99.

  By forming the inclined surface 100 </ b> A on the protrusion 100, the rear cover 115 of the tray cover 33 is not caught on the protrusion 100 of the extension tray 32 when the tray cover 33 is rotated. Is smoothly rotated.

[Pushing operation of extension tray 32]
When the tray cover 33 is in the covered state, the extension tray 32 shown in FIG. 11C is changed from the state in which the extension tray 32 shown in FIG. The operation of the tray cover 33 in the process of moving the extension tray 32 until it is pushed into the main body tray 31 (pushing position) will be described.

  When the extension tray 32 is moved backward with respect to the main body tray 31 from the position of the extension tray 32 shown in FIG. 10A by the user's operation, the extension tray 32 is moved to the position shown in FIG. Move up. 10B, the rear inclined surface 117A of the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 is in contact with the front end portion 75A of the side wall 75. In the position shown in FIG.

  When the extension tray 32 is further moved rearward with respect to the main body tray 31 from the position shown in FIG. 10B by the user's operation, the front end portion 75A of the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31 and the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33. A forward force is applied to the rear inclined surface 117A of the protrusion 117 by the contact with the rear inclined surface 117A. Since the forward movement of the front end portion 118 of the tray cover 33 is restricted by the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32, an upward force is applied to the protrusion 117 by the inclination of the rear inclined surface 117A. Therefore, the tray cover 33 is rotated so that the rear end portion of the tray cover 33 moves upward about the rotation axis 120 (see FIG. 9), and the rear inclined surface 117 </ b> A of the protrusion 117 is the front end portion of the side wall 75. The lower surface 117C reaches the upper surface 82A of the upper plate 82 of the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31 while sliding along 75A. As a result, the extension tray 32 can further move rearward, and reaches the state shown in FIG.

  When the extension tray 32 is further moved rearward with respect to the main body tray 31 from the state shown in FIG. 10C by the user's operation, the state shown in FIG. Description of the operation of the tray cover 33 from FIG. 10C to FIG. 11A is omitted.

  When the extension tray 32 is further moved rearward with respect to the main body from the state shown in FIG. 11A by the user's operation, the upper end portion 84C of the front wall of the through hole 84A of the main body tray 31 is moved to the tray cover. It slides from the rear side of the front inclined surface 117B to the front side in contact with the front inclined surface 117B of the 33 projections 117. Thereby, the protrusion 117 gradually enters the through hole 84A and reaches the state of FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 11B, the lower surface 117C of the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 abuts on the support portion 94A of the side wall 92 of the extension tray 32 from above and is supported by the support portion 94A.

[Extraction operation of extension tray 32]
When the tray cover 33 is in the covering state, the extension tray 32 shown in FIG. 11C is changed from the state where the extension tray 32 shown in FIG. The operation of the tray cover 33 in the process of moving the extension tray 32 to the state in which it is pulled out from the main body tray 31 (drawing position) will be described.

  When the extension tray 32 is moved forward from the position of the extension tray 32 shown in FIG. 11B by the user's operation, the front inclined surface 117B of the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 becomes the upper end of the front wall of the through hole 84A. The state comes into contact with the portion 84C.

  When the extension tray 32 is further moved forward from this position, the front inclined surface 117B of the protrusion 117 is brought into contact with the upper end portion 84C of the front wall of the through hole 84A and the front inclined surface 117B of the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33. A backward force is applied. Since the rear end of the front end portion 118 of the tray cover 33 is restricted by the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32, an upward force is applied to the protrusion 117 due to the inclination of the front inclined surface 117B. Therefore, the tray cover 33 is rotated so that the rear end portion of the tray cover 33 moves upward about the rotation axis 120 (see FIG. 9), and the front inclined surface 117B of the protrusion 117 is positioned in front of the through hole 84A. The lower surface 117C reaches the upper end portion 84C while sliding along the upper end portion 84C of the wall. As a result, the extension tray 32 can further move forward, and reaches the state shown in FIG.

  When the extension tray 32 is further moved forward from the state shown in FIG. 11A by the user's operation, the state shown in FIG. 10C is reached. Description of the operation of the tray cover 33 from FIG. 11A to FIG. 10C is omitted.

  When the extension tray 32 is further moved forward from the state shown in FIG. 10C by the operation of the user, the rear end is inclined with the front end portion 75A of the side wall 75 in contact with the rear inclined surface 117A of the protrusion 117. The surface 117A is slid from the front to the rear. Thereby, the protrusion 117 moves downward to reach the state of FIG.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
As described above, when the extension tray 32 is moved from the pull-out position to the push-in position when the tray cover 33 is in the covering state, the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 rides on the upper surface 82A of the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31. Therefore, even if the tray cover 33 is in the covering state, the extension tray 32 is easily moved from the pull-out position to the push-in position.

  The support portion 94 </ b> A that supports the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 in the extension tray 32 is a recess 94 that is recessed downward from the upper surface 92 </ b> A of the side wall 92 of the extension tray 32. Therefore, the position of the tray cover 33 in the covering state is stabilized.

  The side wall 75 of the extension tray 32 has a through hole 84A in the upper surface 82A that exposes the support portion 94A upward so that it can come into contact with the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 when the extension tray 32 is in the pushing position. Therefore, the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 abuts on the upper surface 92A of the side wall 92 of the extension tray 32 in a state where the extension tray 32 is in the pushing position. Thereby, the tray cover 33 in the covering state is positioned at the same height in the state in which the extension tray 32 is in the push-in position and the state in the pull-out position.

  Since the projection 117 of the tray cover 33 is provided with the front inclined surface 117B, the projection 117 of the tray cover 33 enters the through hole 84A of the side wall 75 in the process of moving the extension tray 32 from the pulling position to the pushing position. Furthermore, the tray cover 33 in the covered state is prevented from rotating downward rapidly. Further, in the process in which the extension tray 32 in which the tray cover 33 is covered moves from the push-in position to the pull-out position, the protrusion 117 is suppressed from being caught by the through hole 84A.

  The tray cover 33 is supported by the extension tray 32 so that the protrusion 113 of the tray cover 33 is inserted into a first opening 97 formed in the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32 and is detachable. . Therefore, the tray cover 33 can be easily attached to and detached from the extension tray 32.

  In the covered state of the tray cover 33, the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 113 </ b> B of the protruding piece 113 of the tray cover 33 abuts on the upper step portion 98 </ b> A of the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32. As a result, the covered tray cover 33 is prevented from falling off the extension tray 32.

[Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, the extension tray 32 is configured to be able to be pushed into and pulled out from the main body tray 31 by the side wall 92 of the extension tray 32 being slidably supported on the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31. However, such a slide mechanism may be provided not on the side wall 92 and the side wall 75 but on the bottom plate 74 of the main body tray 31 and the bottom plate 91 of the extension tray.

  Further, the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31 does not have to extend directly upward from the support surface 74A, and may be disposed at a distance from the support surface 74A. For example, the side wall 75 may protrude from the lower surface of the bottom plate 74 (the surface opposite to the support surface 74A in the bottom plate 74), extend outward from the support surface 74A in the left-right direction 9, and extend upward therefrom. The same applies to the support surface 91A and the side wall 92 or the front wall 93 of the extension tray 32.

  Further, the bottom plate 91 of the extension tray 32 may be positioned above the bottom plate 74 of the main body tray 31. Further, the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31 may have only the inner plate 81 and the upper plate 82 without the outer plate 80, or may have only the outer plate 80 and the upper plate 33 without the inner plate 81. You may have.

  The upper plate 82 of the side wall 75 of the main body tray 31 may have another through hole in front of the through hole 84A. In this case, the protrusion 117 of the tray cover 33 is inserted into the other through-hole in the process in which the extension tray 32 is pushed into or pulled into the main body tray 31 by the action of the rear inclined surface 117A and the front inclined surface 117B of the protrusion 117. Gradually enter the hole and gradually exit from the other through hole. Therefore, even if the tray cover 33 is in the covered state, the extension tray 32 is easily moved with respect to the main body tray 31.

9 ... Left-right direction (width direction)
10: Multifunction machine (sheet conveying device, main unit)
12. Recording paper (sheet)
20 ... Feed tray (sheet tray)
28 ... Feeding section 31 ... Main body tray (first tray)
32 ... Extension tray (second tray)
33 ... Tray cover 74A ... Support surface (first support surface)
75 ... side wall (first side wall)
82A ... Upper surface 84 ... Through hole 84A ... Peripheral portion 91A ... Support surface (second support surface)
92 ... side wall (second side wall)
92A ... upper surface 93 ... front wall (wall)
94A ... support portion 75A ... front end (end of first side wall)
97 ... 1st opening (opening)
98... Front portion 111A... Lower surface 113... Projection piece 117... Projection 117A.
117B ... Front inclined surface (second guide surface)
118 ... front end (end located in the first direction of the tray cover)
120 ... rotation axis

Claims (7)

A first tray having a first support surface for supporting the sheet;
A first position having a second support surface for supporting the sheet, wherein at least a part of the second support surface overlaps in a direction orthogonal to the first support surface, and a position in the first direction relative to the first position; A second tray supported by the first tray so that the overlapping area of the second support surface with respect to the first support surface is movable to a second position smaller than the first position;
In a state in which the second tray can be rotated around a rotation axis extending along a width direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second tray is in the second position along the first support surface. A tray cover supported by the second tray in a covering state covering at least a part of the second support surface above the second support surface,
The first tray protrudes upward from the first support surface and has a first side wall extending along the first direction;
The second tray protrudes upward from the second support surface and has a second side wall extending along the first direction.
The tray cover has a protrusion that protrudes downward from a lower surface facing the upper surface of the second side wall in the covering state and abuts against a support portion of the second side wall,
In a state where the second tray is in the first position, the support portion of the second side wall is below the upper surface of the first side wall and overlaps the upper surface of the first side wall in the width direction. ,
The protrusion abuts against an end portion of the first side wall in the first direction in a process in which the tray cover is in the covering state and the second tray moves from the second position to the first position. A sheet tray having a first guide surface for guiding the tray cover to pivot upward.   The sheet tray according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is a concave portion that is recessed downward from an upper surface of the second side wall.   3. The first side wall according to claim 1, wherein the first side wall has a through-hole in the upper surface that exposes the support portion upward to be able to come into contact with the protrusion in a state where the second tray is in the first position. Sheet tray.   The protrusion is positioned in the first direction from the first guide surface, the tray cover is in the covering state, and the second tray moves from the first position to the second position. 4. The sheet tray according to claim 3, further comprising a second guide surface that abuts a peripheral edge portion defining the through hole of the first side wall and guides the tray cover to rotate upward. The tray cover has a protruding piece that protrudes in the first direction from an end portion of the tray cover that is positioned in the first direction in the covering state.
The second tray has a wall portion in which an opening into which the protruding piece is inserted is formed,
The sheet tray according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tray cover rotates about the protruding piece inserted into the opening of the wall portion as a rotation center.   The sheet tray according to claim 5, wherein the wall portion has a convex portion protruding above an end portion of the tray cover in the covered state. A sheet tray according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
And a sheet feeding device configured to feed a sheet supported by the sheet tray to the apparatus main body.

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